Moon-howling activists hijack Grassley event, decency

Using ambush tactics and perverting political protest into a beast more akin to anarchy, liberal activists, most of them from outside of Carroll County, turned U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley’s town hall meeting at New Hope Village Monday into a hostile environment, a showcasing of the rock-bottom worst contemporary America inspires in far too many of its people.

Not content to interrupt and hurl insults at the senator during the public forum, the mob that is Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) crowded Grassley, 77, in the hallway, blocking his entrance to a post-event media interview, and later, used physicality to prevent his clear passage from New Hope to a car.

It was shameful, hateful and, most of all, dangerous.

And CCI spent Monday night bragging about the disruptive behavior — the stuff of chaos not King — on the Internet in email blasts, claiming a “crash” of the Carroll town hall in which they made “demands” of the senator, a venerable public servant and exceedingly decent man.

“The group took over the town hall meeting and, for over an hour, demanded that the senator renounce his vote and pledge not to cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid,” CCI says in a press release.

How is an angry mob “taking over” a town hall an act that furthers democracy?

How is drowning out questions about the next farm bill and water conservation an advance of Carroll County’s interests?

What gives CCI the right to grab time from Carroll Countians who have their own questions but didn’t have the time or courage to ask them in the middle of the clock-sucking toxicity?

Most of the CCI contingent was not from Carroll County. Some were paid political hacks clearly bent on pushing (literally) Mr. Grassley into a YouTube moment with shouted, confrontational questions.

Now, of course, CCI members have a right to be heard, to voice their concerns in strong and certain terms.

But they overstepped the bounds of civil discourse in Carroll in a big way by confronting Grassley in a physically hostile way, inhibiting his free movement.

Their ugly tactics overshadowed any merit of message and discredit their full organization. CCI tossed its legitimacy out of the bus window and drove over it on the highway, backed up, ran over what was left of it, and smashed it to smithereens.

CCI, if judged on its actions in Carroll Monday, is in a word, despicable, a collection of mad-eyed characters who should have their local pharmacies on speed dial so they can pop pills to silence the voices in their heads.

In contrast, in a remarkable exhibition of civility and class, Grassley gamely fielded questions, answering them politely, and absorbed anonymous screamed barbs from CCI.

“This is kind of an exception to my town-hall meetings so I don’t want you to think this happens 99 times in Iowa,” Grassley told the Daily Times Herald in an interview following his event. “This may be the first time this year, and I only have 13 more counties to go to.”

I interview people for a living. And I can say unequivocally that Sen. Grassley is among the more accessible public figures in the Hawkeye State. Before or after events he always takes questions from the media. He’s never dodged. Not once.

What’s more, as someone who has covered hundreds of political events, including many with President Obama, I have a sense for what constitutes an assertive, persistent approach of a politician by a constituent, whether it is to ask for an autograph or photo or give him a piece of your mind. I see it all the time.

What I saw at New Hope Village was not that. It was aggression, pure and simple.

CCI is so sure it’s right about how to cure all that ails the nation that many of its members clearly feel justified in employing such a strategy.

Yes, CCI, you got your press release, your moment.

But you lost the respect of the Carroll County residents who witnessed your reckless behavior.

Doug Burns sees things from only one perspective, his. He then uses his family's paper to put his point across and try to push his personal agenda and not for the greater good of Carroll County or the people who are actually footing the bill---the Carroll County taxpayers. If Doug was working for any paper not owned by his family, he would be looking for another job and learn to be more professional as it would be a basic requirement for employment at any other paper. And since Carroll is "sheltered" from all of the unemployment and poor fortune of the rest of the country, Doug would not have a problem finding a well paying job locally. We're on to you Doug. We are an educated public. We educate ourselves and figure out the message for ourselves and no longer need someone to tell us how and what to think or how to vote.This comment has been hidden due to low approval.

So I just watched the video on you tube also and was SO surprised to hear the only one being rude and saying expletives was you! Shame on you for lying ! Especially when there is evidence to the contrary! I won't be reading your column again now that I know you are a bold faced LIAR!This comment has been hidden due to low approval.

I've known Chuck Grassley for 20+ years and a more decent senior public official does not exist. By luck of the draw I've had the chance to meet Presidents & senior Senators of both parties. Chuck gives equal time no matter who you are. As far as dashing in to vote on the Senate floor, he holds the record among current Senators for the most consecutive votes cast othrs just skip some! Lastly, "The Hill", in a bi-partisan vote of all of Congress selected Chuck as the hardest working Senator in Washington. We are VERY lucky to have a man of his caliber (farmer, card caring mbr of the United Auto Workers from his days @ John Deere in Waterloo, family man & thorougly decent - not a hint of a scandal ever!)This comment has been hidden due to low approval.

Watch the video,Youtube "Carroll,IA Grassley CCI". Mr. Burns gets seriously pissed at some guy for delaying his alone time with the senator "Get the ^%&* out of my way!" "I represent Mr. Grassley,I didn't interrupt your time,this is press time". If I were that guy I certainly wouldn't have just walked away. Mr. Burns comes off very arrogant. It's clear to see that he thinks highly of himself,and his own importance. I mean if Doug didn't interview him, no one would really know what happened,right? To me personally, it's clear as day that Mr. Burns was irritated and angry that this group would come in to Carroll and not play by his rules.This comment has been hidden due to low approval.

I read this in another column when this article hit back East. I want to say that as a Progressive, I'm proud of the CCI. They are not just sitting around blogging nor seeking television interviews pretending to be crazy pundits. They are taking action and attending these town halls and asking the questions. 90% of Americans think this congress including Grassley are incompetent and get rich hypocrites.

This is what Democracy looks like. Enough of Americans and the silent suffering. Good job CCI.This comment has been hidden due to low approval.

Well, I'm not from Iowa. But people are mad as h#ll and they are not going to take it any more. Stand at your window and shout it. Almost every Senator and Congressman is bought and paid for by a special interest or a corporation or some lobbyist. Working class Americans have seen their retirements devastated, their jobs off shored and their futures given to Wall Street Bankers. Enough is EnoughThis comment has been hidden due to low approval.

I did not hear one word when the republicans were actually violent during the health care debate. This is exactly the reason Iowa has been added to the "States too stupid to vote list!"This comment has been hidden due to low approval.

One question for Mr. Burns: were you at the same Town Hall Meeting I was? Everyone who had a question was given an opportunity to ask that question. Yes, people were passionate, and they were respectful. A question was asked, sometimes to a small smattering of applause, then the room would grow quiet so the Senator could answer.

There was no outrageous shouting, no insult-hurling, no howling nor heckling going on at all. In fact, the only shouting that occurred was when Mr. Burns thought he was being blocked from getting an interview after the Q&A session. I was there, I saw it, Mr. Burns belligerent with an intern from CCI and then pushed the young man aside to get to the Senator. When Mr. Grassley left the building, the intern followed him, calling out the Senator's name and asking him to sigh a promise to defend Social Security. So much for "confronting Grassley in a physically hostile way, inhibiting his free movement."

Mr. Burns, you are entitled to your opinion and I'm sure you stand by it. You must also stand by your use of hyperbole. Talk about moon-howling and insult-hurling, this piece would take first prize in any first year journalism class contest. Tone it down, sir and while you're at it, tell the truth.This comment has been hidden due to low approval.

I attended the town hall meeting on Monday with Senator Grassley, and I think Doug Burns was not at the town hall where I was. The hour of questions was well managed and reasonably polite. People were not interrupting. Everyone who spoke up with an issue at the beginning got to ask their question. The gentleman in the back who asked about the farm bill was not "drowned out." In fact his issue (keep the CRP program) was applauded by CCI members and others. While most of the questions were about social security, Medicare, and Medicaid, others asked about "fast and furious" and defense spending and no one interrupted.

There was some congestion in the hallway at the end of the event, but I left and did not see anything untoward.

Accounts of events (and it's on tape) after the Senator left the interview are completely at odds with Doug's description. There was no ICCI "aggression."

"Moon howling" indeed!This comment has been hidden due to low approval.